Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next.

Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive. – GOODREADS

The prequel to the Maze Runner is another thriller. We get to explore the back-story about what happened all those years before the Maze. The destruction, the death, the Flare. There are new characters to get to know, and only a very subtle link to those that we all know in the Maze.

The underlying plot centers around two main characters. One, a young guy having to step up in a world that’s gone crazy, and the other, seasoned by a military past. It’s an unlikely duo, but they have a strong bond that has been borne from shared tragedy. There are plenty of desperate times when they both need to make some very hard choices.

I’ve read a lot of dystopian books over the years, they deal with destroyed societies, oppressive governments, dreadful disease, and violence fuelled by desperation. But for some reason this one seemed to click, making me really think about how I would cope if something as extreme as the Flare ever occurred.

The loss of security, the loss of every comfort I take for granted, the loss of family and friends, the loss of knowing that there is always food and water whenever it’s needed. It really did hit me, and I don’t know why this book made that happen. Perhaps it was because much of it was in an urban setting. A place that is so relatable. Walking through the chaotic streets, seeing the crumbling lifestyle in the midst of the ruins of what once provided the security that everyone needed, the loss of that place called home.

Dashner captures the extremes. The nightmarish battles between survival and mistrust, and the final threads of human logic that linger in the shadows of crumbling minds. For me, The Kill Order made me really think about how fragile our society is, and about how easily this could happen – more likely by our own wars and conflict than by a natural event. Once we lose our health, our safety and our compassion, everything crumbles.

A lesson on the fragility of society, and a window into the events before the Maze. A gripping read.

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What I’m currently working on

New York City has a secret.

The first book of my new YA series, SUBWAY | PALLIATOPIA, was released in April 2018. It’s an incredible story full of thrilling twists and suspense, where the characters find themselves in the middle of a nightmare beyond belief.

If you love The Hunger Games/The Maze Runner/The 5th Wave/Divergent, then you won’t be able to resist SUBWAY | PALLIATOPIA.

Change is also in the air for the QUEST series. I’ve decided it’s time to rebrand and refresh the series for an older teen/YA audience before I release Book 4, THE MISSING LINK. The newly rebooted QUEST series (including Book 4) will be out in late 2018.

I have redesigned the covers for my TIME SQUARE series. I think that they now reflect the fluidity, disintegration, and movement of everything through time.

Book 3 of the series, TIME SQUARE | TRIANGLE, will see Team ELMR head off on another incredible adventure. I hope to release it in 2019.